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I am so fortunate to have found a trainer who realizes that sometimes, we need to hear her ideas come from someone else's mouth. Chemaine Hurtado, owner and trainer at Symphony Dressage Stables, has been my go-to trainer for several years now. While she's encouraged me to attend clinics, I hadn't ever felt the need to seek another trainer's advice. Until now.
Winning the Second Level Regional Adult Amateur Competition under Chemaine's coaching.
I've taken a lot of lessons with Chemaine. Speedy and I have gone from an Introductory Level pair to a team knocking at the door of Third Level. With Izzy, things haven't progressed in such a linear fashion. Frankly, he and I are more often than not a hot mess. Yes, he can half pass, but half the time I can't get a stretchy trot circle. We're up, we're down, we're all over the place.
From a recent lesson with Chemaine.
For the past month, things have been way more down than up. In fact, I came home a few weeks ago declaring that he was outta here! I was just over it. In desperation, I sent out a message to a fellow trainer of Chemaine's. Someone who I had seen show many times. Someone who knew me, but didn't know me. Someone who didn't know a thing about Izzy or about my relationship with him.
Sean Cunningham (photo courtesy of STC Dressage)
Enter Sean Cunningham, owner and trainer at STC Dressage based in the Moorpark area. He is a Bronze and Silver Medalist, and is just two scores shy of his Gold Medal. He is a very quiet, but effective rider, and his teaching style is very similar to Chemaine's.
Sean Cunningham (photo credit STC Dressage)
I sent Sean a message and asked if he would be willing to do a rider/horse evaluation. I wanted to know if I am simply not an educated enough rider for Izzy, or on the flip side, if is Izzy mentally capable of what I am asking. Essentially, I wanted to know who is the problem in this relationship. By the way, the answer is usually me, but I wanted to be sure.
STC Dressage is based at the stunning AA Ranch. (photo credit STC Dressage)
A week or so ago, I loaded up the big brown horse and headed to Moorpark, two and a half hours away. A few days before, I had switched Izzy back to the correction bit. I packed that bit and bridle along with two others. I wanted to give Sean as much information as I could.
Cleaned up and ready for his consultation.
To my surprise, Izzy self-loaded in the trailer without needing Speedy as motivation. Besides going to the vet a few times over the winter, he hasn't even been near the trailer. And yet, he made the journey without a peep. When I unloaded him, he looked around for a minute, and then he started munching on the hay I had hung for him. I tacked him up without any fuss and then led him over the arena. While I was very pleased with his happy-go-lucky demeanor, I was also very surprised. Maybe he's matured more than I thought. Point to the big brown horse.
The main barn at AA Ranch. (photo credit STC Dressage)
Because it was so windy, Sean had me use a two-way communication system. I mention this because I fully expected the big brown horse to start off with a big spook and a bolt. Windy weather is definitely not his jam. But nope, he just stood there looking around as I dropped my stirrups and climbed on. From there, his tension started to rise, and he gave a few hard spooks. But really, I was quite pleased with the maturity he showed.
Sean Cunningham (photo credit STC Dressage)
Sean watched me ride for a few minutes, and then he started directing me to focus on being consistent and vigilant with the bend. Right away he pegged Izzy as being a horse who lacks confidence. Yep. He pointed out that he carries a lot of tension in his poll and top line. Again, yep. In less than 15 minutes, Sean was able to really hone in on where we both struggle. Point to the trainer.
To my relief, I am not causing Izzy's tension, but I am not necessarily helping it either. Sean suggested some things that I can do to help Izzy build confidence in me as his rider.
1) Insist that he let go through his poll by using lateral flexion with an inside leg. Izzy does not get to deviate from that position. As he releases the tension, I can straighten him for a few strides and let him move into the contact, but then it's back to lateral flexion. As Izzy finds relief in this position, he will seek it more willingly.
2) I need to ride Izzy with contact all the time. He doesn't get a loose, free rein as this is when he looks for things at which to spook. Instead, I can use walk "breaks" to reinforce the idea of letting go through the poll.
3) When Izzy spooks, I am to ignore it completely and ride as though nothing happened.
4) For now, I am to stick with the larger movements: 20-meter circles, serpentines, and figures of eight. These will help keep Izzy balanced as he builds trust in me as his rider.
To my relief, I am not causing Izzy's tension, but I am not necessarily helping it either. Sean suggested some things that I can do to help Izzy build confidence in me as his rider.
1) Insist that he let go through his poll by using lateral flexion with an inside leg. Izzy does not get to deviate from that position. As he releases the tension, I can straighten him for a few strides and let him move into the contact, but then it's back to lateral flexion. As Izzy finds relief in this position, he will seek it more willingly.
2) I need to ride Izzy with contact all the time. He doesn't get a loose, free rein as this is when he looks for things at which to spook. Instead, I can use walk "breaks" to reinforce the idea of letting go through the poll.
3) When Izzy spooks, I am to ignore it completely and ride as though nothing happened.
4) For now, I am to stick with the larger movements: 20-meter circles, serpentines, and figures of eight. These will help keep Izzy balanced as he builds trust in me as his rider.
Sean Cunningham (photo credit Terri Miller-Steiner)
While Izzy wasn't perfect during the lesson, I definitely felt the tension ease throughout his body simply by insisting that he release at his poll. When I put all of my focus there, he quit stabbing at the ground with hurried steps, he quit looking for things to spook at, and he started taking some deep breaths. Eventually Sean got on him and worked on the same concepts. As a MUCH more educated rider, he got Izzy softer and softer, and his back loosened up. I could see that Izzy felt so much better "supported" - mentally and physically.
So much happier with me.
Every ride we've had since that lesson has been better than the one before. All of the "pieces" for success have been there - Chemaine's given me the tools I need, it just took someone else to reframe it all for me. Sean didn't whisper any magic words or teach me something that I didn't already know. What he did do was help me connect what I know with a new feeling. And once I feel it, I can't unfeel it.
To contact Sean Cunningham for lessons or coaching:
- visit his website (https://stcdressage.com/),
- find him on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/STCDressage),
- or connect via cell (815-861-3005).
